Snow Day in Avalor
by PizzaNSunshine
Summary: Set post-Wizard in Training. Elena hasn't seen snow since she was seven years old, which was over fifty years ago. As she reflects on this memory, she realizes how special and one of a kind her royal wizard really is and wonders what, if anything, she should do about it. An eleteo one-shot. Check out the artwork on the cover image created by Rugbeewrites aka lovelyrugbee on Tumblr!


"SNOW DAY EVERYONE!"

I could hardly believe my eyes. It was snowing–– actually snowing in Avalor City–– my warm, TROPICAL city on the bay! After hours of perpetual fear and worry as we tried tactic after tactic to eliminate the water spirit rampaging through the streets of the city, the gentle shower of snow sent tendrils of peace and joy creeping out from my very soul like until I was filled to overflowing. Laughter bubbled up from within as I tipped my face to the sky, and threw my arms out wide, twirling and dancing among the gently falling flakes of snow.

I had only seen snow once in my entire life, and that had been fifty-one years ago when I was seven and had accompanied my father on a trip to Freezenburg on the eastern continent. I remembered how the world had looked like it was covered in glittering gems that shimmered in the sunlight. I also remembered how the cold had pierced through every layer of clothing, chilling me to the core, leaving tiny goosebumps on any bit of exposed skin and giving my nose the appearance of a cherry. In spite of that, I thought that it was a wondrous place to be, like a land full of fairies and magic and mysteries to explore.

But this? This was different–– in a way, this was more. Mateo had taken an ugly eyesore on the docks–– a stark reminder of the havoc that had been wreaked upon our city–– and, with the help of his apprentice, turned it into something beautiful and precious. He had used his unique talents to give us all a treasured once in a lifetime gift of experiencing the special magic of a snow day.

This thought gave me pause. I had known from the moment I met him that Mateo was special–– that he had a beautiful soul and a brightly burning flame within that would stand firm against darkness in any form. It had never occurred to me how truly one of a kind he was–– he could do things that no one else in the entire kingdom was capable of. He could bring joy and happiness to people in a way that no one else could. If I was being honest with myself, I was starting to realize that he brought joy and happiness to me–– he touched my life in a way that no one else could.

Looking over at where Mateo had knelt in the snow next to his little apprentice, I smiled at the excitement and happiness that lit up his own face. Mateo had an almost childlike view of the world–– it wasn't that he was immature, no, he had this way of seeing the beauty and wonder in everything around him–– especially anything relating to magic. Unlike most young men his age, he wore his emotions on his sleeves, though he usually tried to mask them behind laughter and self-deprecating humor. I, for one, could read him like a book–– and I had been finding more and more that I liked what I saw.

For the moment I watched him with Olivia, and I could hear him explaining how the snowman needed a proper sized base to act as the foundation for the rest of the body. It was a very careful and meticulous explanation, and I grinned as I thought he sounded a bit like Isa. I'd had my doubts the previous day when I'd heard that he had offered an apprenticeship to the little girl, and though today had been a disaster, I think–– now that both teacher and apprentice have learned their lesson–– he'll be an amazing teacher. He's so patient and kind with her and willing to explain. And that dreamy look he gets in his eye when he talks about magic–– he simply adores the subject.

Suddenly, I saw a snowball pelting through the air across the dock. It hit an unsuspecting Olivia directly in the side of her face. Her brother, Lucas, who had thrown the snowball, laughed and took off running while Olivia sat there looking a little stunned as she tried to wipe the cold ice from her face. Mateo turned to her and, holding her by the shoulder with one hand, he gently wiped the snow from her face with the sleeve of his robe, and I could almost hear the comforting words he spoke to her–– his eyes spoke volumes. I felt my heart swell as I watched this exchange. It reminded me vividly of a time when my own father had cleaned mud from my face, once upon a time. I realized with a soft smile that Mateo was going to be a wonderful father someday. He was so sweet and gentle with Olivia, I could picture him kissing scraped knees, comforting tiny broken hearts and becoming starry eyed as he shared the wonders of magic with our children. I sighed happily, feeling warmth spreading from my heart as the vivid mental image danced in my mind. Baby cuddles, little girl tea parties, family dinners, love and laughter and–– wait–– OUR children!? I blushed furiously, wondering where in the world that had even come from?

Shaking my head and clearing my throat in an attempt to steer my overactive imagination away from that train of thought, I watched as Mateo pulled the other tamborita out and handed it to Olivia, a familiar mischievous smirk upon his face. What was he doing? Then I saw him demonstrate the floating spell on a snowball as he made it fly around him in a circle before allowing it gently land on the ground before them. He then gestured to Olivia, apparently giving her the go ahead to try, which she did with much success. I was impressed with how quick a study she was, though I am certain that the quality of her teacher had something to do with it. As she landed the snowball gently at her feet, he said something else as he nodded toward her brother and the pair shared a conspiratorial look.

Giggling, my eyes crinkled with amusement, knowing exactly what she was about to do. Mateo had just taught his young apprentice how to use magic to cause a little mischief. She was going to use the floating spell she'd just learned to retaliate against her brother. It was really quite funny to watch! She raised her tamborita and performed the spell perfectly, sending the snowball gliding quickly across the dock, smacking her brother right in the face! She whooped with laughter and high-fived Mateo, who I could see laughing as he praised his young apprentice. Lucas yelped from the cold and once he cleared the snow from his face, he gave chase after his little sister. Screeching with glee, Olivia hurriedly gave the tamborita back to Mateo and took off running, scooping up snow to throw in self-defense.

As I stood back, arms crossed in front of me, watching all of this play out, I couldn't help the mischievous grin that slid across my face. Mateo had his back to me, standing just a few yards ahead of me and seemed completely unaware that he had an audience as he watched the children playing in the snow. I bent down and scooped a handful of snow into one hand and tiptoed towards him, quietly closing the distance between us. I held my breath as I approached and carefully dropped the icy cold slush down the back of his neck. He cried out from the shock and cold, flailing his arms to the sides as he danced around, trying to dislodge the ice. I burst into peals of laughter, as I bent over double with my arms crossed around my middle–– I could feel the muscles in my stomach as they began to ache from laughing so hard.

Finally having gotten the freezing slush off of his skin, Mateo turned slowly, crossing his arms over his chest as he narrowed his eyes in mock sternness. "Really Elena? Snow down my back?"

I was still doubled over with laughter, I could barely breathe, let alone talk. "I'm– s– sorry! I– I– couldn't– help– it!" I gasped out as tears of mirth trickled down my cheeks.

"You do realize what this means, don't you?"

I managed to pull myself together as I realized he was scooping up his own handful of snow. Stepping away from him with my hands raised before me in a placating gesture, I said, still giggling, "Now Mateo, there's no need to be hasty!" I yelped playfully as he took a step towards me, molding the ball of ice in his hand. I could see the mischief dancing in his eyes as he quirked an eyebrow and drew his hand back, preparing to strike. Just as he threw the ball of ice, I dove to one side, dodging the ball as it flew by my head, and scooped up another handful of snow, hastily shaping it into a throwable object as I heard a familiar thumping sound. Was that– his tamborita? He had just hit his his tamborita for some reason, and I had a pretty shrewd idea as to why.

I didn't have time to think, I just whirled around and prepared to throw my own snowball, but before I could even draw my arm back, a magically glowing mass of soft, fluffy snow exploded across my face. Squealing from the cold, I stumbled backward and tripped, falling to the ground in a rather unladylike heap. Thankfully, the soft snow broke my fall. Still laughing, I spluttered, trying to clear the clumps of ice from my eyes, nose and mouth, I felt a solid presence kneel beside me, and a warm hand grasped one of my shoulders as I felt something warm and soft, like fleece, gently wiping the ice and snow from my face. Once my eyes were cleared of slush, the laughter faded as I blinked, looking into the concerned hazel eyes less than a foot away. My breath caught in my throat as he smiled his familiar crooked smile and asked softly, his voice full of uncertainty, "Elena, are you ok? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have–"

Smiling shyly, I said, "No, you should have. I started it and there's no reason you shouldn't have fought back. It was all in good fun, right? No harm done Mateo."

He smiled in return and said, "Here, let me help you up." He got to his feet and took both of my hands as he carefully helped me to my feet, brushing the snow from my hair, my shoulders and my back.

I was struck by how gentle he was with me. He was such a sweet, kind person with a gentle soul–– my eyes widened slightly as a flutter of butterflies pulsed through every nerve in my body as I realized in that moment how utterly attractive I found that quality in a man. Biting my lower lip uncertainly, I considered what that really meant.

I was the crown princess and my entire life was caught up in training to be queen–– I had to keep my focus on my kingdom and the crown. I would not be afforded the luxury of time to pursue a romance and, besides, I wasn't even sure if I was free to choose who to love like that. Would I be expected to marry for the good of the kingdom?

Without a shadow of a doubt, I knew that Mateo and I shared a deep connection–– I'm so comfortable around him, I knew that being with him would be as easy as breathing. Wringing my hands together nervously, I knew we had something special between us, but he is such a good friend, what if I said or did the wrong thing and ruined what we have? What if I was wrong and he didn't feel the same? Truly, to not have the friendship of this beautiful soul would be a tragedy. What if I took the risk and neglected my duties to the kingdom or our relationship? The consequences of either would break my heart. No, I had to maintain the status quo and be thankful for his friendship and steady presence in my life. As I pondered these things, my heart skittered a few beats as I felt warmth flood my cheeks. Staring at him a moment, I cleared my throat and, pushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear, I said in a low voice, "Thanks Mateo. Um– Should we go and finish that snowman?"

He gave me a long look, as if he could see that something was troubling me, but smiled his gentle, crooked smile as his gaze softened and he said, "Sure, Elena. I've never actually built a snowman before, it'll be fun to be able to say we actually did that once.

Grinning, I clapped my hands together, feeling a bit more like myself, and said in a bright voice, "Great! I've wanted to do this since I was seven. Let's go!" and before he could respond I grabbed him by the hand and pulled him back over to where he had started the snowman. For the rest of the afternoon, I knew that I could live my life happily with him, one of my closest friends, by my side. I felt a deep contentment settle over me as the two of us worked together as a team with little Olivia and her brother to build the most spectacular snowman Avalor has ever seen.


End file.
